An Unlikely Guardian
by whitedandelions
Summary: Tom Riddle is given a task. And that's to go into the future and keep Harry Potter alive. By any means necessary. Time Travel AU, slow burn. HPTR SLASH.


**Title** : An Unlikely Guardian  
 **Rating** : T, may go up later on  
 **Pairing** : Harry x Tom Riddle  
 **Summary** : Tom Riddle is given a task. And that's to go into the future and keep Harry Potter alive. By any means necessary.  
 **Author's Note:** I'm not stopping Your Name on My Heart. I've just reached a block on the next chapter (woo, just updated a chapter if you haven't read it yet ^^). I was just watching the new Terminator movie, and couldn't get this idea out of my mind. So basically, Tom is in his sixth year - it starts before he kills Mrytle/his father, so he isn't entirely evil yet and doesn't have a horcrux. And it starts at the end of the Order of the Phoenix. So they're almost the same age, since Tom will have to repeat sixth year with Harry. Hehehe. Anyway, I typed this up in a night, and tried to make this plausible (literally, the only thing I want with this story is for Tom to go "You're Voldemort, Merlin, you're ugly.") so if something doesn't make sense, let me know!

* * *

Tom couldn't lift his head. It was all he can do to stay on all fours. There was sweat accumulating from his body from the sheer strain it was taking him to do so, and he could barely breathe.

A voice sighed above him. "Tom Marvolo Riddle," it rasped, and the only thing Tom could see of it was the corner of a ratty black cloak. "It seems like you will only respond to fear, so that is what I must do."

"Who are you?" he got out through gritted teeth. What the figure said in front of him was already coming true; he was truly afraid for once in his life. He had never been so defenseless before; even when he was getting picked on in the orphanage, he had the knowledge that he was stronger than them to keep himself safe. But this was different. Judging by how the strain on him wasn't letting up, it was obvious that this enemy was magical. And he had no way to defeat it.

"Mortals know me as Death." It let loose a low chuckle when Tom shivered involuntarily at the apparition's words, "Yes, I know you fear me. That is why you will make Horcruxes."

"You can't be," he protested, and immediately, the pressure on top of him increased, sending him flat to the ground.

"It is truly galling what you believe," said Death, disgust dripping from every word. "You believe you can cheat Death. So you made Horcruxes. But just as the tales warned, every cheat has its downfall. And the Horcruxes took your sanity and you didn't even realize it."

"I haven't made them yet," he argued. "I'm not insane."

"And I can kill you now," said Death, sounding thoughtful. "So you may never create them."

"Then why don't you kill me?" he snarled.

Cold suddenly emanated around him, chilling him down to his very bone. "Do you understand the position you are in, Tom Riddle? I can kill you with just a snap of my fingers."

He couldn't respond because his teeth was chattering far too much from the extreme cold.

Death scoffed, and the cold abated, leaving the surrounding air warm once again. "I wonder why I haven't, yet. Unlike the one you will become, perhaps you are still sane."

There was the sound of a robe rustling, and then his head was being forcibly tilted upward. If he could move, he would be shaking from the extreme fear that gripped him right then and there, because he was being forced to look into a dark abyss of nothing.

And then scenes were flying in front of his eyes. He saw himself lead a war, and behind him, hundreds of followers carrying out his will. Tom was powerful and driven; anyone who dared to cross him was either met with death or torture by Crucio. He was awed, and then, horrified, as he watched the man die to an infant, and then spend the next twenty years chasing revenge and ignoring every one of his prior goals. He was a wraith, and then a golem, and finally a man warped beyond humanity, with slits as nostrils and a head bare of hair. He knew, instinctively, that man was him, and that Death had spoken the truth. The Horcruxes had taken his sanity.

"Do you see now?"

"Yes," breathed Tom, and watched as Death tilted its head in curiosity.

"I admit, I did not expect that you will," said Death. "I wonder why you are able to see clearly. It must be because I had gotten to you before Myrtle's death."

"Myrtle Warren?"

"Yes. She dies to your hand in your sixth year."

It hadn't sunken in completely from the vision, but he wasn't particularly surprised. He knew he was missing that piece of morality; the piece that made every other person recoil from killing.

"You are not yet broken," said Death. "I will give you a choice, Tom Riddle. If you make your Horcruxes, you will create an entity called Voldemort. This thing will hunt Harry Potter, the human who will later become Master of Death, and subsequently very important to me. You will protect him from yourself to repent for your mistakes. However if he dies, then you will die. When you wake, there will be a ritual outlined for you to perform in order for you to make it to the future."

"And if I say no?"

"Then I will kill you now," said Death, sounding bored.

"Fine," said Tom. "I'll die if I don't say yes, correct? And I'll lose my mind if I become Voldemort. The choice is easy. However, if I kill him, does that mean I'll die, too?"

"That depends on you," said Death. "If you are able to separate yourself from this man called Voldemort, then perhaps you will live."

Before he could press Death for more details, the scene faded away and then he knew no more.

* * *

When he woke, there was a book he had never seen before resting on his pillow.

He knew it was from Death, because the cover was the same black he had seen when he had looked directly at the entity.

He had hoped it was a dream. But the book told him it wasn't. He shivered when he thought back to the cold that had chilled him and the immense pressure Death had used to put him in his place.

He was loathe to do anything someone told him to do, but this was different. The vision that Death had showed him scared him. He had been insane, and clearly hadn't accomplished any of his goals besides gaining power. He had power, but he had been unable to use it wisely. And besides, there was no reason to stay in this time. Dumbledore didn't trust him and had every intention of going out of his way to interfere with his every move. And his school mates, while they respected him, they looked down on him because they still thought he was a Mudblood. And he knew he wasn't because of his ability to speak Parseltongue, but he was hesitant to prove it when Dumbledore was already convinced he was the next Dark Lord. Which he was going to be, but details. Going to the future was the easiest solution. And it was obvious from the scenes Death showed him that Harry was going to be politically powerful because of his felling of Voldemort earlier in his life. There was a lot he could do with that power, and it put him in a higher standing than he was now. And well, he was going to be killed if he didn't jump to the future, so there wasn't any choice in the matter in the end.

Collecting the ingredients for the ritual was easy. The only difficult part would be waiting a month so he could perform it on the correct day.

The month did provide him with a time period to get ready though.

Death didn't tell him when he would be arriving, so he would have to plan for the unknown. Based on the scenes he had been shown, Harry Potter and Voldemort didn't have the best relationship. And Voldemort had hunted the boy down until he had eventually died. No matter what year Tom arrived, there was a chance that Voldemort would be trying to kill the boy. He didn't know when the chase started, so he had to prepare for anything.

Even with the Horcruxes, Voldemort had knowledge and experience over Tom. He didn't know how he would face up with an older version of himself, and honestly, it terrified him to have to face Voldemort. He knew himself how powerful he was. Lucky enough, Death hadn't ordered him to go after Voldemort; his only order was to keep Harry safe.

And to do that, he had to ensure he had a way to stick by Harry no matter what. There was a chance that it could be common knowledge that he became Voldemort, and as such, Harry would be terrified of him when he saw him. However, he couldn't change his appearance. Glamours would be burnt up in the ritual, and the ritual sent him directly to wherever Harry was at the time.

The ritual taught him vital information as well. The ritual was Dark, but it was easy to read the Latin to see what exactly it entailed. And the first thing he learned was that the ritual was meant to find the one who shared the same magic as them.

He highly suspected that Harry and him shared magic. Nothing else was plausible because how could Harry have magic that was his if it wasn't for magic bonds? Not much was known on magic bonds because most times, they were born in different times. Most of the time, they were hardly given a chance to meet each other. It was speculated that magic never died; when a wizard died, their magic would go up into the atmosphere and then be reborn in an infant. However, sometimes there was a glitch in the system, and two people existed in the same time with the same magic. This meant that they could share magic and that their spells worked differently when they cast them together. It was an esoteric study though; hardly anyone believed they existed so there weren't any recorded instances of them.

This only cemented his decision to go into the future. If he was going to fail in this time, then there was no reason to stay. If he could convince Harry to see as he did, then perhaps the added magical power could help him succeed.

The knowledge of the magic bond also gave him the idea of a magically binding necklace. It was used on arranged marriages; it was to force couples to spend time together. It was illegal, of course. It had been widely accepted in ancient times, when society was entirely patriarchal and the witch had no say on their significant others. Most times, parents would force their daughter to sign away her life to a wizard with greater standing. So it worked even when one party was not willing.

Something told Tom that Harry wouldn't be entirely too willing to share a necklace meant for marriage with him.

Luckily, laws on magic bonds were nonexistent and he doubted that it would change a few decades later. He doubted magic bonds were common even if he was going to an alternate universe. This way, he wouldn't be tried in court if he forced Harry into a bond with him. And the bond had the added benefit of binding Harry's life force directly to him, so if he died, Harry would die, too.

His second step was to get a knapsack to bring essentials with him. He brought his worldly possessions and a slew of books that he thought would be helpful. He also took Malfoy's Gringott's key; it had been easy enough to nick from him. And a few other potions nicked from Slughorn's cabinets. He also got battle robes and a new wand in case his yew wand wouldn't work against Volemort's.

When it came to the night of the ritual, he dressed in his battle robes and freshened up. He wanted to look nice when he met his 'bride.'

He snickered at the thought as he performed the ritual, and disappeared with a flash of green.

* * *

Harry was devastated. And then he felt anger.

He didn't hesitate to chase after Bellatrix. He had to make her pay, to make her feel the pain he felt when he saw Sirius melt into the Veil.

It was easy enough to catch up to her. She ran slowly, and his anger fueled him to cast Crucio on her. She fell to the floor, and he snarled at the way she tried to pretend she was vulnerable, to pretend as if she wasn't a cold-blooded murderer who had just killed her cousin.

He stiffened when he heard Voldemort's voice, urging him to give in to his anger. He couldn't let the bastard win.

He spun immediately, but Voldemort was faster, waving a hand and sending his wand flying.

"So weak," scorned the Dark Lord.

He trembled; he had left everyone behind when he had chased after Bellatrix and he knew that Voldemort could kill him in an instant. His wand was too far to reach and he wasn't strong enough to cast anything without one.

He closed his eyes, sure of certain death, when a powerful surge of magic filled the room, setting the room alight with a harsh green glow.

When it abated, a man was standing in front of him. He was draped in a battle cloak, and he was taller than Harry by a whole foot. His hair fell in curls and when he turned to stare at Harry, his brown eyes were sharp and focused.

Harry knew him.

"Tom Riddle?" he wondered out loud, and watched as comprehension dawned on the perfectly chiseled face.

"Are you Harry Potter?" asked the man, and Harry wordlessly nodded, his mind racing as he tried to figure out who exactly was in front of him. Because if it was really Tom Riddle, then who was the person standing in the back? Who was Voldemort? Were they wrong the whole time and Riddle had never become Voldemort?

"Oh good," said Riddle, "Because I've been sent here to protect you."

"What?" he could only thoughtlessly get out, but it didn't matter because there was a green flash to the side, signifying another arrival.

"Tom?" asked Dumbledore as soon as he arrived, his eyebrows wide and his mouth hanging open.

The man in front of him blinked, then groaned, "Figures you'll still be here. I was hoping you'll be dead by the time I arrived."

Dumbledore was as pale as a ghost, looking lost and unable to answer.

Harry took over, "If you're really Tom Riddle, then how are you here? We thought you became Voldemort."

Riddle turned to look back at him, his expression considering. He looked as if he was wondering over whether or not to tell him before he suddenly tilted his head to the side, looking straight at Voldemort.

Voldemort had been shocked silent at the sight of his younger self, obviously just as lost as they were. It comforted Harry greatly because it was a sure sign at least that Tom Riddle wasn't one of Voldemort's dirty tricks.

"You're Voldemort?" asked Riddle, in a polite, cultured voice. "Merlin, you're more ghastly than I imagined."

Voldemort gaped at his words, looking as offended as he could with his missing nose and pale skin.

Before Voldemort could respond, Riddle turned to Dumbledore. "I know you've never liked me, Dumbledore, but even you can see that our best chance at survival is to team up with each other. Come on, now, don't be so stubborn."

And he whirled, his yew wand appearing automatically into his hand, casting a strong disarming spell towards Voldemort.

Voldemort recovered from his stupor, wandlessly sending the spell from its path and causing it to hit the wall. He snarled, "You're me! How dare you attack me!"

"Am I?" asked Riddle, calmly. "I beg to differ. We hardly look the same. And I wasn't foolish enough to barter my sanity for immortality."

Voldemort seemed to grow more and more angry at his words, and he held his hand in front of his mouth, blowing flames into it until it morphed into a giant fire snake.

Riddle watched all this with a raised eyebrow, and Harry winced as the snake started to charge them. "Is this what the horcruxes did to my magic?" Riddle murmured so only Harry could hear, and then the wizard was casting a spell, taking the magic from the fountain and splashing it onto the snake, putting it out with ease.

Dumbledore didn't hesitate to take advantage of the opening, controlling the leftover water from Riddle's attack to envelop it around Voldemort until Voldemort's cries of pain echoed throughout the hallway.

When it splashed open, Voldemort used the rest of his magical power to send a huge wave of magic throughout the room, shattering the windows and battering the walls, sending parts of it down. Riddle was by Harry's side in moments, slinging an arm around his shoulder and holding him upright as he cast a strong shield charm.

By the time the dust cleared, Voldemort was gone.

There was silence in the empty hallway for only a minute before Dumbledore was turning to Riddle. "Who are you?"

"Hold on a minute, please," said Riddle, and Dumbledore paused, looking thrown at Riddle's politeness. And then Riddle was turning to face Harry, and he was actually smiling. "How fortunate you are rather fit," said Riddle, "it'll make this easier." Harry didn't react when Riddle produced a necklace out of his robes, frozen in shock at Riddle's words when the older wizard placed the necklace around his neck. Dumbledore made a horrified sound, and when Harry looked over Riddle's shoulder at him, he had his wand in his head, already arcing to cast a spell.

And then Riddle's lips were descending on his, and a surge of magical power ran over them. Harry screamed, but Riddle swallowed it with his kiss. Tendrils of yellow magic surrounded Riddle's right and Harry's left arm, binding them tightly together. Riddle was chanting something next to him as soon as their lips parted, but the haze of pain and power prevented Harry from actually comprehending the words.

When it was finally over, he fell into Riddle's arms, panting from the exertion the magical ceremony had caused.

Riddle was chuckling, and then he felt magic washing over him, forcibly putting him into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Hiiii! If you liked it, please leave feedback because i looove feedback! Even a few words will give me a boooost of inspiration! And pleaaase, if you notice any plot holes feel free to tell me because even though i worked and thought a lot on this, it still feels kinda sketchy? though that may be because I'm using Death as a plot device xD. Anyway~ please tell, but please don't be mean about it because I'm pretty fragile Dx.

Things to look forward to: harry hating tom in the beginning and wanting to get away but can't cuz of the bond so tom is always there, tom becoming slytherin's heir!, tom having to get along with the golden trio, tom researching with hermonie and having to get along with her despite her being a muggleborn, ron trying his best to be supportive but can't cuz he's voldemort! and also cuz ron has to wrap his mind around the fact that tom is very much queer~, ginny not liking tom cuz of CoS and tom being why are you hanging around with her anyway we're bloody engaged and harry being like because you forced me to! and dumbledore being forced into a corner because he has to deal with tom and there's no way tom would let harry die cuz that means he'll die so all his plans have to be changed and tom's basically gonna be the best guardian ever cuz harry's life is tied to his so~ he ain't gonna live with muggles and let harry die, pleaaase

(as you can see i'm looking forward to this XD)

anyway, if you liked this, please check out my other HPTR story: your name on my heart ^^ which is basically a soul mate inspired fic based in marauders era


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